Where can I see Portrait of Peder Tordenskjold?

Portrait of Peder Tordenskjold is held by Statens Museum for Kunst.

What movement is Portrait of Peder Tordenskjold?

Portrait of Peder Tordenskjold is associated with Rococo painting.

Portrait of Peder Tordenskjold by Balthasar Denner

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting portrays Peter Tordenskjold, the celebrated Danish-Norwegian naval hero of the Great Northern War, who is named in the work's title and identified as the principal subject. As a formal portrait by Balthasar Denner, dated 1750, it belongs to the tradition of commemorative likenesses that preserved the memory of military figures for posterity. The work is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it functions as a visual record of Tordenskjold's likeness rather than a narrative or allegorical composition.

Because the available sources establish only the sitter's identity, the genre, and the medium, no specific iconographic attributes, symbolic objects, or interpretive meanings can be confirmed from the documentation provided.

Technique & Style

The oil medium allows for fine detail and subtle tonal modeling, contributing to a realistic rendering of the subject's features and attire.

The painting is executed in oil paint on canvas, a common support for 18th‑century portraiture. The oil medium allows for fine detail and subtle tonal modeling, contributing to a realistic rendering of the subject's features and attire. The composition emphasizes the sitter's dignified posture and the intricate textures of his clothing, reflecting the formal stylistic conventions of Danish portraiture in the mid‑1700s.

The work measures 75 cm in height and 58 cm in width, maintaining the proportions recorded in the source.

The handling of brushwork and the rendering of light demonstrate a controlled technique typical of Balthasar Denner's portrait style, focusing on realistic facial expression and fabric detail.

History & Provenance

The Portrait of Peder Tordenskjold was painted by Balthasar Denner in 1750 as an oil on canvas portrait. It entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on display.

The work was created to depict Peter Tordenskjold, a notable Danish military figure, and has been part of the museum's holdings since its acquisition.

The painting measures 75 cm in height and 58 cm in width, reflecting Denner's mid-18th-century portrait style.

The painting is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.

Its inventory number is KMSsp 85. The work has been exhibited at the Statens Museum for Kunst in 1999 as part of the exhibition "Balthasar Denner: Portrætter af tidens mennesker."

Overview

Created around 1750 by German portraitist Balthasar Denner, this oil painting presents a half‑length view of the Norwegian naval commander Peter Tordenskjold. Executed in the Rococo period, the work is now part of the Statens Museum for Kunst collection and exemplifies Denner’s reputation for precise, lifelike portraiture.

Context

Denner’s work fits within the broader 18th‑century German tradition of court portraiture, where accuracy of likeness and subtle elegance were prized. The painting’s Rococo sensibility, refined yet restrained, mirrors contemporary tastes for dignified representation of military figures in European courts.